Purple
by Bub-Omb
Summary: The Pokémon Tower, resting inside Lavender Town, houses the souls of deceased Pokémon and the loved ones who mourn them; but perhaps the Gastlys and Haunters that lurk its floors were not drawn to its location as naturally as one may assume. This story is narrated from a time before the events of Red and Blue's journey's, and unfolds a devious plot from Silph Co and Team Rocket.
1. Chapter 1

It's really quite a strange feeling to lose someone close to you. The age old saying always burns into your mind, _"You don't know what you have until it's gone." _Not that I felt I didn't appreciate what I had, but it never really hit me just how hard a loss would be.

People are scum, I mean, we all know that. There are some who look to themselves and nothing else, and the lives affected in their paths make no difference whatsoever. It's depressing, but those people exist. I, like others, felt that I could stop them. Like, someone has to change the world, right?

Well, I am sorry for starting off my story so… morbidly, but it's how it happened. Just bear with me for a little bit longer and I'll tell you how it all started. I need a few more minutes to mourn someone, or something. They call them animals or beast, but I call them friends. Pokémon. Yeah, yeah, over rated, over used; an overly heard phrase. But she was my friend, my best friend. I kneel at her grave, buried deep within Lavender Town's Pokémon Tower, and memories just flood back into my mind. Everyone has a Pokémon close to them, but I can't imagine anyone having someone as close I did. She was the family I never had, the friend I always wanted. Again, I digress. Let's just go back to the official beginning.

* * *

><p>The ground was cold beneath my feet. A pair of sandals would have been nice, but I mean, you can't be too picky. My parents did not have enough money to spare for shoes, and I would rather have food. Life was rough, but the most upsetting thing was how alone I felt. I was the odd kid in a crowd, the quiet one at school, the goofy looking one on the street. No one really talked to me and I kept to myself.<p>

I looked quite longingly at the grass around Lavender town: my hometown. I was always told to keep my distance because strange beings lingered out there and it was not safe. I had everything that I needed at home, so there was no point in venturing out… or so I was told. But I just felt lonely. I mean, it's what to expect from a kid who seems to have nothing.

Well, I did something that I probably shouldn't have that day, but I still have no regrets. I went to the Pokémon tower, the largest Pokémon burial grounds throughout Kanto. Walking in the front door hit one with a wave of depression; there were just so many people crying and praying for the safe afterlife of their Pokémon. I wish I had some way to soothe them but I honestly could not connect. I didn't have anyone so close that I would mourn their death, nor had I ever trained a Pokémon.

I wandered about the tower and got some sharp glances from the people visiting, seeing as I was clearly a little too happy to be there. The fact of the matter was that I was quite happy to be exploring somewhere that I shouldn't be; it was a bit exhilarating. Unfortunately, the ground was no warmer inside than it was outside.

I continued to climb the floors of the building until I had reached the top. No one else stood up there, but I felt a little at peace seeing as I wasn't receiving any strange glares and people just left me alone. I sat down in the corner of the room and leaned against the wall, right beside a table. Not a whole lot of decorations sat in the room, but my dark and stained clothing left me somewhat camouflaged in the shadows.

After awhile I dozed off, only to be awoken by the sounds of men grumbling and arguing with one another. I kept my mouth shut, realizing that I was clearly not supposed to be in the room, and listened in on the conversation. The men grouped around wore very strange clothing; a few had on white and black, tight against the skin, and brandishing a large letter "R" on the front, one wore a black suit with his similarly colored hair slicked back to a shine, while the other two wore lab coats and looked to be scientists of some sort.

"You guys are all idiots," the man in black stated aloud.

"What! We are so close, I am telling you!" the scientists retorted.

"Listen to yourself. You are telling me that you can resurrect the Pokémon but you can't see them? That's just the biggest load of crap I have heard. Can you prove it to me? Prove to me that this thing even exists?"

"Well…"

"Well what?"

"We don't know where it went."

"Of course you don't. Why don't you call for it? It does have a name, doesn't it?" the leader demanded.

"It goes by the name of Abby, as far as we know."

"And?"

"Well, it seems to be afraid. It just runs away when we call for it. I can't imagine that it would leave the safety of this tower without someone to guide it. There is no way it even knows where it is." The leader sighed and started for the door to the room.

"Sir!" the scientist called out.

"ENOUGH! You don't have anything to show. I am cutting funds for this operation. March back to Silph Co. and tell them we are through. I do not want to hear from you again." He left the room with the men brandishing the "R's" on their shirts, and the few scientists inside stared blankly at one another with worried expressions on their faces as if to say, "what now?" They exchanged some sighs and left promptly, unsure as to where to go next. I sat in the corner and dared not breathe too loudly until they had completely vanished from sight.

Here's where I make a move that I still ponder the validity of. I called out. I called out for… Abby. I sat for a few seconds and grinned to myself. I was a little foolish to expect it to work, seeing as the scientists had just claimed to have attempted to do so multiple times already. I slowly stood up and walked towards the exit to the room but I was stopped. Something was clearly in my way but I could not figure out what; it was like a mime's trick. I held my hand forth and felt a strange tingly sensation cover the skin's surface. Immediately I pulled my hand back and clenched it into a fist. I rubbed my arm to make sure that feeling was still there, but stared at the empty space that seemed to barricade my path. My mind clicked sense together and I called out again.

"Abby?" I asked. A soft curr responded and I felt the tingling slowly roll up my arm. I wanted to be afraid but in all honesty, I just couldn't pull myself to feel any sort of fear. I did not feel endangered and I was far from ignorant of what could be happening.

I continued through the doorway and it let me through that time, but the tingling stayed by my side. A smile eroded over my face and I used my other arm to try to touch the entity. I could feel the strange phenomena through the palm of my hand, but it was oddly comforting. I scratched at its head as if it was a cat and I heard the soft curring once again. It was alive, just like me and the men who were in the room just moments ago. And for once, it trusted something. I cannot say why it clung to me, but – quite simply – it did.

The remainder of the walk down the building gained just as many strange looks as ever, but I did not care. I had a friend beside me that time.

I didn't know whether or not it would be appropriate to try and introduce Abby to people. She was clearly fairly shy, or at least afraid of the men from Silph Co. who had been in the Pokémon Tower, and I figured people would just call me insane if I tried to talk to them about her. But what could I do? Pretend that the revived Pokémon didn't exist? She did, I knew it. But no one else would. Do I even want to risk letting people know about her? What if Silph Co. figures out and tries to take her back? Perhaps I could just stall until the company's project goes under, being without funds from the strange man in the black suit.

My pace slowed significantly as I came close to the front door of the Pokémon Tower. I could still feel Abby brushing my side gently. I had no idea if she was just clinging on to me as I walked, or if it was more like a soft nuzzling to reassure me of her presence. Regardless, it felt good, and I had no intention of pushing her aside, even if the tingling sensation was a bit strange.

Approaching doors, I was stopped once again by the strange cold wall. I mean, I knew that it was Abby, but she seemed startled by something other than my presence. I tried to reach out and pet what I assumed to be her head, but she shied away and my hand just passed through the air. I stood there and felt quite silly – waving my arms around at nothing – but I was used to being stared at, so I didn't stop.

Despite ducking away from my gentle hand, Abby continued to block the entrance of the building from me. I pondered her actions and the words I had heard from the men earlier. They seemed convinced that she was still in the Pokémon Tower, simply too afraid to leave on her own will. So I did what I felt was most appropriate, and tried to soothe her. I couldn't stay in that graveyard forever, so better sooner than later I suppose.

"Shhh..." I whispered. "It's ok Abby, nothing is gunna hurt you out there. I will be with you. I promise." A pause pursued before I felt Abby nudge me from behind, towards the door. I giggled and held out my hand, as if guiding a child of my own across the street. Shortly afterwards I felt her grasp in my fingers. It was tight and I could even see the indentation on my skin from where she clung. The whole thing was so surreal, paranormal, but to a blissful kid who spent most of their time alone, I was just happy to have a friend. Together, we walked out of the building, and into the world of Kanto, seeing it in a totally new light than from when I had entered.

* * *

><p><em>Fair Use Disclaimer: This story is for strictly for entertainment purposes only and is entirely for nonprofit. Many characters, places, and concepts are Nintendo's copyrighted material that comes straight from games of the Pokémon series, and I do not own the rights to any of them.<em>


	2. Chapter 2

I sat in my room with no one else around but Abby. I spent quite a bit of time just sitting around at home but it was different to have a friend beside me. I could hear her making sounds and skittering about my house, full of excitement and energy. It made my own heart flicker with joy just to know that something was so happy to be near me. I wanted to play with her but I wasn't quite sure how to do so without being able to see her at all. Dependency upon only the sense of touch was not something a child is used to, but it was something I quickly became accustomed with.

After nearly an hour of the scampering and exploring, she settled down, deciding to rest. I could feel her lean against my thigh as I sat cross-legged. I placed my hand on her and moved it up and down to pet her, fighting through the bizarre sensation that plagued my skin as I did so. She purred and laid still. My hand rose and lowered softly, seemingly in the air, as I sat patiently. I didn't know what to do next. Part of me wanted to take Abby and go explore the world, maybe start my own Pokémon journey, but the other part of me said that I was simply too young to go out and explore like that. If I had any money I would set out with some food and Pokéballs, but that alone was where the problem sat: I had no money whatsoever, and my parents rarely had anything extra on them to give to me. Even if I did ask them, there was hardly a chance that they'd let me go without some sort of lecture on being too young and unable to survive on my own. I had proposed the idea before and provoked the response; I knew how it'd go down.

I could tell that Abby was asleep, but I wasn't tired myself, so I continued to pet her and stared at a wall in my house. I wanted to go explore and do something else with her, but I wanted her to sleep as well; I could tell that she had been through a lot more than I had. I wondered if anyone else had a Pokémon cling to them like Abby did to me, without being caught in a Pokéball. It definitely had to be a rare occurrence, if it happened at all.

I let my mind wander towards what my best option was. Every part of me said to go start a Pokémon adventure, and begin to train like all of the travelers that pass through Lavender Town do, but I just could not see how I would manage without any money. I needed to get a Pokéball and have at least one visible Pokémon with me, to battle with. Visible Pokémon... A devious smile grew over my face. I could have Abby "haunt" the local Poké Mart. With the graveyard so close by, people are already a little paranoid and quick to assume one thing or another is haunted. It would be quite simple. However, the thought lurked on me. I had swiped food and a few articles of clothing on occasion but never from something as big as a Poké Mart. They are ran and supplied by Silph Company, a large corporation that creates and distributes Pokémon oriented items to the general public through their marts strewn across Kanto. It still confused me as to why they would be attempting to revive Pokémon, but I did not bother to pursue that mystery.

I heard my stomach growl and wondered whether or not Abby needed to – or even could – eat. I tried to slide away from her but I could tell that I was not quite as sneaky as I had hoped to be. As I wandered into the kitchen to search for food, I felt her run up beside me and brush my leg.

"Sorry Abby, didn't mean to wake you. Now let's see..." I climbed up on the counter to get a better reach of the higher cabinets, but found them to be just as empty as the lower ones. I sighed and got back to the floor, hoping mom and dad would be home soon and that they were bringing food with them. I decided that I might as well try to swipe a few Pokéballs now, seeing as I did not have anything else to do in the meantime. I walked out of my house and across the street to the big white building bearing a blue roof. It was labeled Poké Mart on the outside and I walked through its amazing automatic sliding doors. I quietly giggled with excitement and patted Abby who was walking – or floating or whatever – to the side of my leg.

The store was little smaller on the inside than I had imagined it to be. A middle aged man stood as the store clerk at a glass counter that housed a number of trinkets and items, probably more expensive ones that needed special attention to ensure their security. I wasn't going on any sort of huge heist; I just needed some Pokéballs and possibly a few potions... if Abby could even eat them, that is.

Other than the clerk, two other people were inside. One was an older man who sat in a chair near the entrance, and the other was a woman browsing the goods on the shelves.

"G' Afternoon," the clerk said as I walked in. I smiled and returned a wave as I turned to browse, trying to avoid his gaze and getting roped into conversation. I did not want him to realize that I had no money on me and had no intention of purchasing.

I saw that the old man was reading a magazine about Pokémon. The cover showed a Nidoran eating from a small bowl of food. I suppose that I had no idea whether or not the food was even related to the article he was reading, but I instinctively began conversation with him.

"Excuse me sir..." He lowered the journal from his eyes and peered at me from over the top. He smiled broadly at me, most likely quite friendly towards children, and asked me what I needed.

"I was... wondering if uh..." Cursed shyness kept me from saying anything half of the time. His smile shifted to more of a blank stare.

"I don't have any money for you hun," he replied to my lack of a question.

"No!" I shot out, realizing that he misinterpreted my stammering. He wrinkled his brow, thinking I planned to argue with him for money. My face blushed straight through and I scrambled to cut him off before he retorted to my bizarre spoutings.

"IMeanIWantedToAskAboutPokémonFood!" I managed to speak before he did, but that did not seem to clear things up at all. He shook his head lightly and waited for me to continue. I took a deep breath to clear my head and simply pointed to the magazine cover. He cocked his head before flipping the journal around and looking at the picture on the cover. Immediately he pulled the pieces together and laughed about the whole situation.

"Pokémon food huh? Well, often times, trainers get their first Pokémon from a friend or by leading them in with bait and capturing them with a Pokéball. On the cover, it is advertising a specific brand of Pokémon bait. Here," he paused as he shuffled around in a pocket of his coat and pulled out a small sack of the bait he was talking about. "I'm not much for weakening Pokémon in a battle before catching them, so I always carry a bit around. Take it; go try to get a little friend for yourself." I took the bag and thanked him before continuing to wander about the store. The old man had given me more information than I could have hoped for. Not only did I now have food to see if Abby needed to eat, I could now use it as bait to catch a different Pokémon if she did not eat it, or, I could battle and weaken them with Abby to catch them.

The next step was to actually acquire a Pokéball. Abby was still beside me, standing just under my dangling right hand, keeping that fuzzy sensation and my awareness of her presence. I scratched her head and moved in between the isles, just out of view of all three people simultaneously. I pondered the best way to proceed, seeing that a few different options were available. If I could communicate to Abby to swipe a Pokéball, it would be the easiest way.

As I knelt down to rub her face – or where I imagined it to be – she started to paw at the bait I stored in my coat pocket. I pulled it out and watched it sort of disappear into the air. I could feel her tongue on my hand it was even more disturbing than the simple tingling I got from touching her; but it gave me an idea.

I took a few of the treats out and walked towards the counter with the clerk behind it. He looked up at me and straightened his posture, clearly not in the mood to be working that day. Regardless, he put on a fake smile and asked if he could help me with anything, seeing that I did not have any items in my hands to purchase. With a simple grin I threw the bait at his face. He flustered and cursed me before wiping it off and glaring at me. As he motioned his finger towards the door, he was thrown back onto the floor.

He scrambled to get to his feet, and felt Abby licking and pushing against him to get the scattered treats. He started to freak out and made quite a large scene. I quickly ducked behind a shelf to make myself invisible to the customers. The old man sitting near the entrance bolted upright and ran as quickly as he could, while the woman attempted to get closer until she heard the man screaming about ghosts, and she fled the building. The clerk quickly shoved Abby off of him, vaulted the counter, and shot straight out of the Poké Mart. I smiled and called for Abby. Once she had finished eating the scraps off of the floor, she came back to my side. I moved through the aisles and grabbed a few things that I would need for my journey: Pokéballs, potions, antidotes, Pokémon food, some human food, and water bottles. I threw them all into a backpack that was also available for sale inside the mart, and we slipped out the emergency exit in the back before the police arrived to investigate the scene.

I moved westward, hoping to find myself a Pokémon soon. My parents would be home in a little while, so I needed to be sure that I was well out Lavender Town and on my way. They would never expect to look very far. For the most part, I would be way too nervous to venture out such a distance. But for whatever reason, I simply felt safe with Abby beside me.


	3. Chapter 3

For what seemed like the first time in my life, I stepped out of my shell of a home in Lavender town and onto the westbound road. They were all carefully plotted out with route numbers, but I genuinely had no idea what they were. Perhaps a map would have been a useful item to steal while I was at the Poké Mart.

I saw the sun beginning to set over in the distance and figured that I ought to catch a Pokémon soon; I really did not want to try to capture one at nighttime. I did not have any idea what type of Pokémon I wanted to use, but I knew that I had to either decide quickly or just got on instinct.

The road seemed fairly barren for reasons I could not fathom. It was a weekday, over the summer so I was not in school, but that generally meant kids would be roaming free. I then remembered that the southern route out of Lavender Town was a bridge over the shore of the ocean, which probably lured nearly all children on a hot day to go cool off and hang out. It may have even looked a little peculiar to see me out here by myself, but I wasn't worried; I had a tendency to go unnoticed.

I looked to the patch of tall grass to my side and a giddy feeling overwhelmed me. I had never actually set foot outside of Lavender Town before, let alone into the grass where Pokémon lurked. I took in a deep breath through tight lips and tried to muster up the courage to push into the green reeds. I felt a gentle nuzzle on the back of my leg as Abby attempted to encourage me to move forward. I couldn't help but to smile at her enthusiasm and I reached out to push the foliage aside and step into the jungle where Pokémon lurked. Had I been a bit older and a foot or two taller, the experience would have hardly been anything to get worked up about. But seeing as my gaze did not breach the tops of the grasses, I was overwhelmed with anticipation.

I didn't make it very far until I tripped and tumbled to the ground. I turned and expected to feel a nudge from Abby, but it wasn't her who I had stumbled over. I saw a small plot of dirt resting near my feet, and it started to burrow towards me. I scrambled up and pushed through the grass to try and avoid the pursuing underground attacker. It stopped dead in its tracks just before it got close enough to launch at me, and I realized that it had most likely been Abby intervening, so I turned to face the attacker. It popped out of its tunnel and looked at me with two beady eyes. It was sand colored with a stone-like texture, stood on two legs with its forelegs dangling like arms housing two claws, and a soft but somewhat chubby underbelly. I told Abby to attack with the one thing I knew that she could do.

"Abby! Lick the Pokémon!" I told her. Instantly, the stony rodent locked up, most likely petrified at the strange feeling of being licked by the ghost. Before it had a chance to regain movement, I pulled out a Poké Ball from my backpack and threw it at the Pokémon. The being disappeared within a red laser as the Poké Ball activated. The ball rattled around a little bit before a locking sound was heard and it sat tight. I did it; I had caught a Pokémon all on my own! I was so beside myself with joy that I almost forgot to pick the Poké Ball before running out of the tall grass where we had fought.

I later found out that the Pokémon's name was Sandshrew, but I didn't have the encyclopedia of Pokémon called the Pokédex when I had first caught it, so I had no idea what it was initially. I had to call it something, so I affectionately named it Brick, after its body's texture. I got lucky in the assumption of it being a male, as my Pokédex later revealed to me, but at the time I just called it a him to better suit the name I gave it.

Once I had Brick and Abby at my side, I felt unstoppable. The sun had set into the horizon and my parents were sure to begin to worry about me being missing. I wondered if they had even set out look for me yet or not. Regardless, I didn't want to go back. I had too little at home to encourage me to stay, and too much with me to persuade me that I was unprepared to explore the world, so I continued west along my original path.

It was just an hour or so later when I came across a checkpoint. They were barriers placed outside of cities, usually intersecting mountainous or forested areas, which served as both a barricade for wild Pokémon that may accidentally wander into largely populated areas and as a rest stop for trainers who were traveling and needed a break. The buildings were generally posted by a police officer or security guard of some sort, and held an upper level with couches and sometimes beds, vending machines, maps, and a large window to view the path ahead. I had only been in one once before when I was younger and my dad needed to run an errand for work and had to take me along, but it was a genuinely comfortable place to be.

I thought that it might not be a bad idea to stop and take a rest for the evening – especially since it was starting to get dark out – however a thought occurred to me: it may look quite strange to see a child waltz into a checkpoint to use a bed for the night, and by that point in time my parents were sure to have notified some sort of authorities about my disappearance. It was a surefire way to get myself caught long before I even got to start my adventure to become a Pokémon trainer. No, I would not be so foolish. So I turned around and began to walk back towards Lavender Town. I stopped in my tracks to ponder my options; going to the checkpoint was sure to fail, sleeping on the side of the road was both risky and stupid, meaning that I would have to slip past Lavender Town the next day in broad daylight. That left trying to go back through town at night, and sleeping somewhere on the other side.

I kept the Poké Ball with Brick in my backpack. I didn't see any reason in trying to sneak the extra body through the town. At the time I hadn't thought of it, but the easiest route would have been to let Brick dig a tunnel underneath Lavender Town and just use it to slip past anyone who could potentially see me. I had no idea that Sandshrew would obey my commands like that after having just caught it. Any who, I made my way through but with a bit more difficulty. I had come up with a plan, and being so young, it was not the easiest thing to do. It seems that a stray butterfly is enough to completely shatter the attention and focus of a kid. So, it took some time, but I managed to devise a strategy to get through my hometown unseen.

As I came close enough to the town, I saw police officers patrolling it. There normally were not any guards standing watch, especially since most believed that Lavender Town was haunted, so they were more than likely on the lookout for me after having been reported missing by my parents. I stood in the shadows and examined their patrol routes for a few minutes before deciding on a route. I knew that one of the officers stood problematically close to where I was, and any movement into the town was sure to get myself caught.

I chuckled to myself and patted Abby before reaching into my coat pocket and retrieving the very last of the bait that the old man had given me earlier; it had definitely served its purpose. I threw it out and the little bits of food scattered across the ground at the guard's feet. He reacted quickly and shone his flashlight downward to examine the objects. He picked one up and rolled it around in his fingers for a brief moment, attempting to figure out what it was, until Abby smashed into his legs to get the snack. He quickly tumbled to the ground and I made a dead sprint out towards the edge of the town. I followed its border closely and watched a few of the other officers make their way to their downed ally, who was screaming about ghosts as Abby licked the food out of his hand. I couldn't help but to smile at how successful the silly trick had proven itself to be, and crept around the trees surrounding the southern exit to Lavender Town. Once on the other side, I stood and waited for Abby to return. I worried for a second that she may not be able to find me, so I called quietly in the air for her. In the dead of the night, I would normally have been heard, but the ruckus the guards were still making – despite not having a threat present any longer – was more than enough to cover up my sounds from bystanders.

In front of me was a lengthy bridge that expanded south so far that I could not make out its other end from where I stood. I knew that I did not have many options other than pushing forward, so I did. The ocean's chill quickly shot over me and I became quite glad that it was the middle of summer, otherwise I would never have been brave enough to tough through the cool temperatures.

Walking over the bridge was a little eerie, and housing a ghost beside me did not help to negate that feeling. I had made it just a little ways out until I noticed that another checkpoint rested to my right. I knew that I could not seek to it for shelter, just like the one to the west of Lavender Town, but it did mean that solid ground existed not too far away. I moved towards it, noticing that the bridge extended still farther south than the exit I was using did, and made my way towards the trees next to the checkpoint. I walked to the back of the building and leaned up against its walls. It was not a particularly comfortable spot, but it was away from the ocean breeze and decently isolated from potential passing by travelers. I lay down in the dirt and Abby curled up with me, so I pet her gently for a few moments before I fell asleep, completely exhausted from the day's events. I did not know it at the time, but I still had quite the journey ahead of me, and the next day was going to prove to be much more exciting than I could have imagined.


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up with that tingly sensation of sleeping on an arm funny, throughout my entire body. It was such a shock that I bolted upright and started wiggling my fingers in an attempt to get blood flowing, but I soon realized that it was not some strange destruction of circulation through my entire body, but simply me feeling Abby up next to me as I slept. I sighed in relief and looked up to bright summer sun, beating down on my face. I had slept in way past daybreak, which was not an abnormal occurrence for a kid in the summer, but I sure felt pretty lazy to know so.

I got up and walked out to the bridge and heard its planks creak under my weight. The structure was called Silence Bridge, but I could hardly see where it got its name, having made so much noise from nothing more than a child stepping onto it. I heard Abby step on to it behind me and smiled at the confusion it may bring anyone listening closely enough to tell the difference between my steps and the amount of creaking going on.

Sitting on the edge of the bridge was a fisherman, dangling his legs off and holding a fishing pole into the waters of the ocean while focusing fiercely on the string. I walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder, just to receive a sharp hush. I waited patiently and watched the fishing line spin in small circles in the water. It was not resting in a whirlpool or anything of the sort, so it most likely meant that there was a fish playing with the bait, deep under the water.

He gave it a sharp tug and felt the tension in the line increase. He reeled in his catch for a few minutes and then stared at the Pokémon flopping helplessly about on the wooden planks of the bridge. He laughed before tossing a Pokéball at it and casually walking over to retrieve his catch.

"A fool's Pokémon," he said to me with a grin. "They call it Magikarp, as if it houses some sort of magical power. But what you saw it doing just now, flailing around uselessly, is about all I have ever had it do. So, do you want to have a Pokémon battle?" he asked, pointing to the Poké Ball in my hand. I hadn't been doing so based on instinct, but I was clutching the ball as if it were all that I had.

"Um... Yessir," I replied. He smiled at me.

"What Pokémon do you have there?"

"Umm..." I honestly had no idea what it was at the time, so I just bowed my head and mumbled the nickname I had given him. The fisherman cocked his head and looked at me funny.

"Have you ever had a Pokémon battle before?"

"No sir..." He chuckled and motioned for me to toss out my Pokémon, so I did and Brick appeared before us.

"Sandshrew. You have a Sandshrew. It is a ground type Pokémon. Most all Pokémon can scratch, tackle, or pound an enemy. Your Sandshrew has claws, so it most likely knows how to scratch. Why don't you have it attack my Magikarp now?"

"Wait, really?" I asked, quite astounded that he was willing to let me beat up his Pokémon.

"Look," he directed while opening a bag. I peered inside and saw it nearly overflowing with Poké Balls.

"I have got plenty of Magikarp. I think that I can spare a few to teach someone how to battle. Now, direct it to scratch my Magikarp." I did as he instructed and the silly fish floundered about in a very unthreatening manner.

"Aren't you going to have Magikarp tackle my Sandshrew in response?" I asked with a smile. The kind fisherman let out a roar of laughter in place of a response, before continuing his lesson. "Sandshrew is a ground type, as I said, and can dig underground to assault enemies from below."

"Yeah I noticed..." I remarked, remembering the tunneling attack that Abby had blocked for me. "Ok, Brick, dig attack on the Magikarp!"

"Wait!" he shouted out at me. "We aren't on the ground!" My Sandshrew, obliged to follow my directions, smashed through the boards of the bridge and nearly plummeted to into the ocean below, but he clasped the edge of the wood before he fell completely. "You must be careful when using ground types. You cannot hit most flying or levitating Pokémon with those moves, and some won't work when your terrain won't allow for it. Be aware of your surroundings and adapt your strategy or stick to grounds that you know. Go ahead and have another swing at the Magikarp." I nodded and had Sandshrew scratch the fish two more times.

"It sure is resilient for a flopping fish..."

"True, but all Pokémon are going to be able to take more than one or two hits. Very few moves are powerful enough to do so, and very few Pokémon are strong enough to use them. It takes a lot of training and dedication to acquire."

"Oh. What are those moves? How will I know when I can use them?" I asked.

"The normal type one hit knock out moves are guillotine and horn drill, the ice type is sheer cold, and the ground type is fissure. As far as when you can use them... Well, I hate to disappoint you, but if you ever get to be strong enough to do so, it will be a very long time away. But hey! Aspire to do as you want. That's part of what being a Trainer is all about! Order your Sandshrew to finish off this Magikarp; he looks eager for the final blow." The fisherman nodded and I told my Sandshrew to scratch it one more time. The fish quit flopping about and lay fairly still, but the gentle motion of breathing could still be seen in its silhouette. Why it was breathing when it had gills, I was unsure. But Pokemon all work in very mysterious ways.

I was a little taken aback at the sight and the man chuckled.

"Don't worry, it is just unconscious. Pokémon faint in battle all of the time. It is generally how the winner is decided. Take the Pokéballs with you injured Pokémon to the Poké Center and they will patch 'em up right quick, free of charge. They are just happy to help. Any who, I am off to try and catch some other Pokémon. Hopefully I will have more luck with a different spot."

"Have you thought about getting a better fishing rod?" I questioned, noticing the shotty shape his was in. He laughed loudly and patted me on the head.

"Don't be silly! The rod doesn't determine a good catch!" He walked away, sill laughing to himself, and I turned to stare down the long bridge ahead of me. I was lucky to have met such a friendly fellow early on. I may not have done very well without his guidance.


	5. Chapter 5

Despite the great length of the shore side bridge, I did not find the rest of the walk to be particularly long. The heat of the sun beating down from above completely counteracted the chill blowing in from the ocean beneath and beside me.

I quickly made it to the other side and set foot on solid ground. The route in front of me stretched on for miles upon miles and I saw a horde of trainers all battling it out with their Pokémon, preparing for whatever gym badge they were attempting to gain next. Once a trainer had all eight badges, they could challenge the Elite Four. The Pokémon champion was fought after the Elite Four; the four best Pokémon trainers in all of Kanto. The champion title was held by whoever was the last one to beat all four of them. Most training that people did was either to take on a gym leader and acquire a badge, or to challenge the Elite Four after having attained all of the badges. The leaders fought using specific Pokémon types: one was rock, water, electric, grass, psychic, poison, fire, and lastly ground. I had read a fair share of information about becoming the Pokémon Champion, even though I had never sought to train a Pokémon myself before.

It was quite a grand sight to see so many dedicated and hard working trainers. All I wanted to do was jump in and start battling everyone I could see, but I had to be certain not to stress out my Pokémon. I did not have the option of simply turning back to Lavender and healing my Pokémon at the Poké Center like most other trainers did. It was likely that the next town had a Poké Center as well, but I had no idea how far off that was and had no intention of banking on that.

I set out to taking on trainers almost immediately and started on a very solid winning streak. My Sandshrew was proving itself to be more than capable of combat and it shone like a star. The most notable event that followed was a battle that I had against a bird keeper trainer who fought with all flying type Pokémon; but none of that was what caught my attention. Instead, it was a newspaper article from the scraps he was using to cover his birdcages from the harsh shore side winds.

The paper flew my way after our Pokémon battle and it smacked me in the face. I scrambled to pry it off of my eyes before I was made a total fool of, and the headline immediately caught my attention: _"Man assaulted, Pokémon saves life_"

Intrigued, I read further into it to get some more details. It appeared to be a few months old by the time I had gotten a hold of it, but it was interesting nonetheless.

_"At 9:15 last night, a man was attacked by a robber inside of his own home. A concerned neighbor heard the commotion and called the police. Upon arrival at the scene, the robber was nowhere to be found, the man lie in critical condition on the floor, and the horribly graphic image of a mutilated Pokémon rested nearby. Investigators assumed that the Pokémon was killed in an attempt to save its master._

_The hospitalized man is currently in a mild coma state, repeating the same phrase over and over: 'Sis maybe ok?' No one seems to know what the phase means, seeing as the man does not have any known sister. Investigations on the situation are in pursuit, but police already seem to have too few leads on the situation."_

The bird keeper stared at me and cocked his head to the side, somewhat confused at my entrancement at an old newspaper, but I found the gentle connection between trainer and Pokémon completely enticing. I had never had a friend so close to me, and yet a day after meeting them, Abby and Brick clung to me like they were lost appendages.

I attempted to ward off his confusion with a gentle wave, but it clearly was not too successful and quickly turned into an awkward stumbled away. A fair ways farther down the road, I could see the entrance to a rest stop. The day had been long and exhausting, so the sight was quite a relief to me. It also meant that I had almost made it to the next town, so I could use a Poké Center to rest my Pokémon.

Just a short distance from the door, a young trainer walked up to me. She smiled and held out a Poké Ball, indicating that she wanted to have a battle. Tired, thus slightly annoyed, I pulled out my Pokémon and got ready for another fight. My Sandshrew looked fairly tired as well, but I wasn't sure what I could do for him. I couldn't become a stronger trainer by walking away from a challenge, and it was often taken as a given that any eligible trainer will accept a battle.

"Ground type huh?" the girl said with interest. "Well it's your lucky day because I only train with poison type Pokémon. But having the advantage doesn't always make you stronger!" She then threw out her Poké Ball which released a large green spider-like Pokémon. She called it Spinarak, but I have not seen another trainer with one to this day.

I kept fairly quiet, as I usually do, and pointed at the bug, implying that I wanted Brick to attack. He had adapted to my silence very quickly, and knew what I wanted right away. He dug into the ground and tunneled his way towards the opponent. The Spinarak jumped aside to avoid collision and began to coat the ground in a thick spider web. Once Brick had come out of his hole, aware that the spider was too quick to be hit by such an attack, he looked at the web, then back at me, wondering how he should proceed.

Before I gave him any sort of command, the spider started shooting poisonous bolts at him in a rapid flurry. Sandshrew dodged what he could, but the impacts that did manage to hit hardly seemed to have an affect. It seemed that the trainer was right: the type matchup was definitely in my favor.

I told Brick to roll at the spider Pokémon, and his hard scaly back cut through the web with ease. The unexpected attack smashed right into the Spinarak and it fell to the ground, temporarily stunned by the impact. I pointed at it again and Brick dug another hole, this time successfully erupting from the ground beneath his opponent and hurling it high into the air. Once it landed on the ground, the girl giggled and withdrew her Pokémon with her Poké Ball.

"You are ridiculously strong," she said while shaking her head in astonishment. "You should go see if you can fight my dad. He is much better than I am, but he only uses poison type Pokémon as well. His gym is just beyond this checkpoint, in Fuchsia City. It'll be a great way to see how good you really are!"

"A… gym battle?" I stammered, in shock that another trainer thought I was that strong already. I had dreamed of becoming a Pokémon champion, but it seemed so farfetched from where I stood.

"Of course silly! All trainers want to collect gym badges! Well, see you around!" She flew off down the route I had just finished venturing, looking for others to battle with. I assumed she had more Pokémon, seeing as I had just knocked out one of hers already. Regardless, she had good advice, so I took it and proceeded through the rest stop. The guard did not stop me as I passed, which meant that the search for me had not spread too far beyond Lavender Town. Relieved, I entered Fuchsia with a new fire burning in my heart as I knew my next destination.


	6. Chapter 6

I walked into Fuchsia City and found the entire place to be quite lively, and yet peaceful, at the same time. There was a Gym nearby and the northern part housed a safari zone that seemed to be a decently popular tourist attraction, despite the somewhat isolated location. People were running about and taking in the beautiful scenery, but no one seemed to be rushing to get anywhere. It was a bit peculiar but it didn't bother me any; I knew exactly where I wanted to head.

The Gym was a very ornate building and stood both taller and larger than anything surrounding it. The Poké Center was right next door, probably intentionally placed there, and the rest of the town sat on a little lower of an elevation. The southern end of Fuchsia was a steep cliff that led to a small beach resting on the edge of the ocean. The whole city was beyond peaceful, and I was set at ease very quickly in its serenity.

I marched along the paths winding through the city's hills and followed them straight up the incline to the Gym. The words "Koga's Gym" were brandished along the outside, and sounds of trainers hard at work could be heard from the inside. I walked past it at first, and into the Poké Center. I knew that my Pokémon could use a bit of a rest and healing phase before we challenge the Gym leader.

The nurse was relatively calm as I approached her. She was clearly quite used to new people bringing Pokémon for her to attend to. She greeted me with a smile as I put my Poké Ball on the counter.

"Just one?" she asked while turning around to place it in a large machine that emitted a soft green glow over the capsule. I was about to say two, but I remembered that Abby was not in a Poké Ball, and I nodded while lightly scratching her head. I hadn't used her in battle aside from the one that I caught Sandshrew in, so she should be fine anyways.

The nurse grabbed Brick off of the machine's bed and handed him back to me with a smile. "We hope to see you again!" she called out as I left the Poké Center. I didn't bother responding since I hoped to challenge Koga and be on my way, but I didn't want to sound too cocky either.

The Gym was practically next door, so I strode on in and looked at all of the trainers standing around. Some were battling one another, some were practicing against target dummies or in obstacle courses, and some were just observing what was going on. I felt pretty small amongst the crowd, holding one Pokémon that I had just barely managed to catch a day prior, and used to challenge random people along the path I walked to leave my hometown.

As I stood awkwardly watching, Koga caught my eyes in his scanning of the Gym.

"Young trainer!" he shouted out over the mass amount of commotion. I raised my head and brushed the long hair from my view as I waited for him to continue. He looked me over: my shoeless feet, the shorts a size too big for me, the violet sweater that failed to keep me warm on most occasions, the brand new backpack I had pilfered that still had tags hanging off of it, and my uncut brown hair, beginning to grease over from the lack of a shower, but still holding a somewhat bearable shape.

He bowed his head wearing a smirk and beckoned me over with a finger. I did as he signaled and made my way past the trainers to place myself directly in front of him. He seemed to be a fairly quiet individual as well, and pulled out one of his four Pokémon, shown clearly by the Poké Balls fixated to his belt. I threw out the ball containing Sandshrew and he stared at me.

"You... only have one Pokémon?" he asked, genuinely confused with my actions. It probably looked quite odd to challenge a Gym leader with only one to his four, but I had no idea prior to walking in. I should have assumed it would be somewhat difficult to acquire a gym badge, but it was too late to back down.

He threw out a Koffing: a fluffy Pokémon that floated about and shot out poisonous gas as it moved. I knew that I had the type advantage, but I wasn't sure how I would be able to dig into a Pokémon that floated in the air.

"Koffing, spray that Sandshrew with poison gas!" Koga ordered. The gas bag levitated towards Brick and began to emit its fumes at twice the normal rate. I pointed at the Koffing and he dug into the ground in preparation to burrow into his opponent, as he usually did, but this time the move was mostly just successful in dodging the gas cloud.

I wasn't sure where to go from there. I remember just kind of watching my Sandshrew sit under the ground as the Koffing covered the surface with noxious gas. Letting Brick come up would be an instant loss, but hiding under the ground wasn't going to succeed in anything either. Neither party seemed willing to budge: clearly the situation had arisen before in his time as a leader. I pondered my options and came up with a plan.

"Go left Brick!" I shouted. He immediately followed my orders and the Koffing pursued. "Now up! Left! Down!" I continued the directions until I had a nice little three by three grid formed in the ground, with nine holes to the surface.

"Now roll out at the Koffing! Keep your ball shape and pop back in!" Brick did just as I asked, repeatedly coming out of his underground maze, rolled tightly in his armored shell, to collide with his opponent and return to the labyrinth.

Koga watched with a fixed gaze as his Pokémon was repeatedly beat senseless. The gas layer in the air was hardly affecting Brick in his short periods above the surface as he made his attacks, and eventually the Koffing fell to the ground, exhausted. Without a word, Koga withdrew it and tossed out his next Pokémon. It was a sludgy mess with a face whose stench reminded me of garbage.

"Muk," he called the creature. "Lay a trap, and flush it out."

The Pokémon went to work immediately as it coated the ground in a thick layer of sludge that spewed from its mouth. It then slid down one of Brick's holes, and made its way to the hiding Sandshrew.

Frightened, he scrambled out and away from the grotesque Pokémon and onto the surface. Barely above ground, he began to slip and slide on the gunk and found himself face first on the floor.

"Slam him," Koga ordered, and the Muk slugged its way out of the hole and into the air, before crashing down onto my Sandshrew. The poor rodent let out a gentle cry as it lost consciousness and plopped to the ground. I withdrew him and simply stared at the mess before me.

"You are a strong young trainer, but you must keep more than one Pokémon with you. It is just too much to expect of one creature." Koga's lecture was the deciding factor for me: I was going to use Abby.

I hadn't used her all too much in combat, so I was still very unaware of her capability. I guessed that it was as good of a time as ever to experiment with it.

"Disorient it Abby!" The room shifted to a fell shade of purple and black, leaving everyone confused. Rolling with it, I told her to abuse the dark cover.

"Lick the Muk, Abby!" Without a sound, she glided across the poisonous field and gave the gross blob an affectionate lick on the cheek. It paralyzed with fear and I knew I had an advantage.

"Now back up!" I called out as the Muk began to shoot sludge out in every direction. The purple and black haze snapped out in an instant and seemed to collapse upon the grimy Pokémon. Confused and stunned, the strange aura impact knocked the creature out cold, and Koga's jaw dropped in awe.

"I... I cannot bring myself to use my other two Pokémon. You have clearly demonstrated that your tactics allow you to overcome any sort of strength disadvantage." He then walked up to me and placed a badge in my hand to indicate that I was victorious. It was pink in color, and looked like a heart. The back had silver lettering and spelled out "Soul Badge".

"I must ask though... How did you get the company of a Pokémon without catching it?" Koga's question was genuinely heartfelt, and I just had to be truthful in response.

"I am not sure..." I mumbled out. "Abby has just... Taken to me I guess." I rubbed her head as I spoke: a reassuring gesture. The Gym leader slowly pieced together the information, still seemingly confused as to what happened.

"She is... Invisible? I thought you had her hide in the nightshade field..." It was a response I would have expected, but I was still not prepared for it. I stayed quiet and Koga eventually let a smile creep over his face.

"You... I want to see you grow. Become a powerful trainer. You and... Abby, have that ability. Do not let me down." He opened my hand and placed a small bag of money into it: a gesture that I later learned was fairly common from a victory against a Gym leader. I nodded and charged out of the gym, still filled with excitement at my accomplishment. I hardly remember visiting the Poké Center to heal Brick of his injuries, or resting in the checkpoint that night, I was just too filled with joy and bouncing off the walls with the built up adrenaline.


	7. Chapter 7

"Listen to us this time! We can prove to you that it works!"

"Did you build a device to see them? I told you last time that I was through messing around with you guys. Even without funds you pester me. Perseverance and persistence are NOT synonymous you know."

"Yes Giovanni sir, we understand. But we have what you want. We call it, the Silph Scope. There are two models. One is fully functional, and could be sold with the money to mass produce them. The other... Well, let's just show you the working one for now." Giovanni was clearly very puzzled by the remark, but he was patient enough to let the scientists show him what they called him to see. The scientist walked over and handed him the small scope. He took it to his eye and scanned the surroundings while a small smile eroded over his face.

"They are everywhere. You have been busy, haven't you?"

"Yes sir, it seems that many of our presumed failures of test runs were actually quite successful. The regional Pokédex registers them as 'Ghastly' or 'Haunter'. Some of the trainers who spend their time here have become convinced that they can feel the spirits of Pokémon around them. They have started to capture Ghastlys with Pokéballs and fight with them..."

"Even though they cannot even see them?" the leader interjected.

"Yes... They seem convinced that they can channel the spirits of the Pokémon."

"Ah. So nutjobs that just happen to be on to something for once?"

"Essentially, yes."

"Hmm..." Giovanni stroked his chin in thought. "This could bode well for us. The biggest issue with mass production is selling a new product. To sell, you must have a need. As soon as a dedicated trainer is stomped by one of these wackjobs fighting with ghosts, then they will go to any length to attain what they want. Make the name known, make it a luxury item. Sell it for high. You will get them to purchase it at ridiculous prices. As it starts to grow in popularity and more trainers are using Ghastlys and Haunters, you can drop the price for the average consumer. Eventually they will be expecting something more from Silph. I assume you have more plans in mind?"

"Yes sir, of course we do. Would you like to see more of our technology today?" the lab technician came forth with a few briefcases ready to display the random projects of Silph Co to Giovanni, but he held up a refraining hand.

"Not quite yet. I'd prefer that it be more of a surprise to me until after we get the Silph Scope underway. I would, however, like to see the other scope you were talking about." The scientist glanced around, looking for reassurance. None of his assistants seemed willing to give him support.

"We uh..." The stammering Silph Co worker received a sharp glare from Giovanni. "Well, you... you heard him guys. Bring out the experimental scope." The lab tech opened the briefcase containing the scope and shuffle around for a few minutes before pulling out a pair of goggles. "We wanted to make it more usable for trainers, so we increased its strength and turned them into headgear to wear for longer durations." The Team Rocket leader's leer pierced the nervous group of Silph employees.

"And?" he questioned.

"The results are somewhat..."

"Enough of this. Give them to me!" He swiped up the goggles and quickly put them on despite the pleas around him. Opening his eyes he swore he had awoken in a nightmare. The flurry of fluffy fuzzy ghostly Pokémon had been replaced by something much more horrific. The ghostly apparitions of the revived Pokémon were shown in a much greater detail. Giovanni saw the horrendous faces of the dead creatures preserved in the state of death. Pokémon with mauled limbs and cut faces, inside gone or dangling, appendages split or missing completely; it was an army of undead beings, all giggling and laughing, jumping around and acting playful and happy, just as any normal Pokémon would be. It was like seeing a favorite cartoon creature gone horrendously awry.

Giovanna stood and spun about in the room, soaking in all there was to see. He did not know whether to be excited or terrified, so he decided to gather some information on what was going on.

"Ghastly... Is there a way all Ghastlys fight?" The man asked in a very monotone voice. The scientists were amazed that he still wore the goggles, and hesitated to answer his question. "I asked you something, Silph Co. Do all Ghastlys fight in the same manner?"

"Uh, um... Yes. Yes most of them lick opponents, often times paralyzing them with fear or simply confusing them. They hypnotize the enemy and, from what we have gathered, eat their dreams. Some use a..."

"Enough. I have heard what I need. Now, if these mangled Pokémon I see are represented as Ghastly, then why do they not fight as they did in their past life?" The scientists were clearly confused by the question.

"Umm..."

"Let me rephrase. I see a Pikachu in the corner. He is missing an ear and has a nasty scar across his cheek, clearly one of your revived Pokémon experiments. Why does he not fight with electrical attacks? Lightningbolt, thunder, et cetra." Giovanni's remark received even more blank stares before one of the scientists decided to acknowledge the quest for information.

"As uh... As far as we know, it is because Pokémon are always loyal to their trainers. They do not attack without being ordered to. As ghosts, they have a standard set of abilities, and that set is being discovered. Without knowing what Pokémon it was previously, no one knows what kind of attack to order it to execute. Plus, no one but us can see through the Ghastly or Haunter disguises."

"Intriguing. You impress me, Silph. I have a few special requests to make of you. But, at a later time." He took off the goggles and pulled out a checkbook and scribbled out the information for payment. "Send an accounting rep to the Rocket Headquarters later and we will iron out the details for future payments. In the meantime, this money should suffice." Giovanni handed the men his check and the goggles before turning to leave the building.

"Thank you sir, we will not disappoint you!" they called out to him.

"No, thank you. I expect great things. Bring them, and the future will be bright." His voice rang out for a few moments before his dark silhouette disappeared from the door frame. 


	8. Chapter 8

When I woke up the next morning, all I could feel was my empty stomach. I had cleaned out whatever rations were still in my backpack on my trip to Fuchsia, and I hadn't thought too far ahead. Shuffling through my pack in a desperate attempt to find food, I grabbed a hold of the bag of coins Koga had given me: relief flooded my body.

I pillaged the contents of the check point's vending machines and loaded my backpack with a colorful array of junk food; it was a child's dream come true. Had I not taken in the nutrients of the chocolate coated protein bars, I would have fallen flat on my face from a sugar rush and been hospitalized for malnutrition within a day.

With food relatively sorted out, I tried to leave the rest stop but the guard called out to me. My heart sank and I slowly rotated to face the woman posted at the station.

"Where do you think you're going?" she called out.

"Um..." I stammered, beginning to ponder my options to get out of the situation. To my surprise, she chuckled and shook her head.

"You haven't got a bike hun, how do you plan to travel up the cycling road without one?" A small sense of relief mixed with confusion shot over me. I could have sworn that I was about to be caught and returned home by the officer.

"How uh... Do I get a bike?" I asked, searching for a way to be able to progress.

"Those cost a fortune, hun. Unless you're rich, good luck getting a hold of one!" I let out a big sigh, realizing that the only other route I had was the southern exit, through the water.

Seeing my obviously upset look, she chuckled again and held out a ticket. I was confused, but I took it anyways.

"Why don't you head to the Safari Zone in Fuchsia with that coupon? It's a fun place hang out, and I'm sure the break from training will let some ideas come to you." I nodded and rushed back out the door I had come in, headed for the Safari Zone.

The building sank into its backdrop, scarcely distinguishable against the stone walls of the mountain range building the northern portion of the town. A railing guided a brick path leading up to its entrance, and people flocked around it with children eager to get to the front door as fast as possible.

I did my best to squeeze through the large crowd while drawing as little attention as possible, but the nature of my appearance in correlation with the fact that I was harboring a ghost, made it increasing difficult to maneuver totally unnoticed.

I heard a little chatter on the way in that caught my attention. A lot of the kids seemed grossly interested in collecting bottle caps. I had been given a decent number of them from the trainers I had beat on my way to Fuchsia, but I did not think much of it. There seemed to be some sort of reward for collecting caps marked with stars, but I did not stick around to get additional information on it. For the time being, I wanted to see what the Safari Zone held in store for me.

The man at the entrance greeted me with an over enthusiastic smile and I handed him the ticket I had been given, which enabled a free visit. He went through a long winded speech about how long I had, how to catch any Pokémon I saw, and that I had to use their special Safari Ball when I decided try to keep one. I tuned most of it out, being less than appreciative of how he treated me like a baby, before taking the supplied Pokémon food to feed the exhibits as I saw fit, and the Safari Balls.

The inside was almost as beautiful as the town I had just walked out of. The plants and trees flourished like nothing I had ever seen before, transfixed in full bloom and constantly expanding, despite the Pokémon munching on their descendants.

Rivers flowed into crystal lakes and slight hills cluttered the landscape, completely free of renovation of any kind. Some of the steeper hills formed into small mountains, which branched off to the surrounding natural barrier to the city. Pokémon roamed freely, unaggravated and at peace in the serenity. I wondered why they did not bother to prohibit exit through cages or walls, but it occurred to me that they had literally no reason to want to leave. It was practically a resort.

I wanted to just stand and stare at the safari like it was a movie, but I knew that I had a task at hand, even if I was not totally aware of what I was supposed to be looking for.

I decided that it may be best to simply try to catch a Pokémon or two while I was there, seeing as I had been given free supplies and all of my previous bait and Poké Balls were used by that point.

I couldn't decide where to start. Abby seemed to be enjoying the scenery as much as I was, so I let her run and pounce around the place in excitement. I followed her trail in the dirt and much of the wildlife seemed instantly petrified at her presence. I couldn't help but to smile about it, and kept chasing the overly energetic ghost as she explored the safari restlessly.

Like a dog herding sheep, the wildlife fled from Abby as they heard her approach rapidly. I scanned the lakeside and saw a single Pokémon still laying about idly, hardly caring for the fact that half the population had just fled past it in fear. It was about four feet tall, had it been standing, was a light pink in color, had a large tan colored mouth, four legs to support its big belly, and a long white tail that secreted a sweet scent. Its skin was sleek, like it was meant to be in the water, but it chose to lie next to the lake instead of in it.

The strange Pokémon hardly moved a muscle as I walked up to it. Finding the lack of enthusiasm intriguing, I leaned over it and poked it with a stick. About thirty seconds after contact had been made, it curled its head around to glare at me, yawned, and returned to its initial position.

I sat and pondered my options for another moment. If I chose not to catch the lazy creature, I may have missed out on a good opportunity. If I did capture it, I would be down a Safari Ball and I may never find a use for the sluggish Pokémon: it certainly would not be all too hot in combat.

I decided that there was not much harm in having extra members of my party, so I went ahead and threw the special Poké Ball at it.

The pink being disappeared within the Safari Ball's red laser and hardly wobbled at all before it clicked, indicating it was locked shut. I smiled and picked up the little yellow capsule before scanning around to see what all there was left to explore. Within a few seconds I realized that I was totally lost. Having chased Abby for the past thirty minutes, I had no idea where we stood in relation to the entrance.

I was about to start panicking when I saw a shack nearby. I wasn't sure if it was simply a tool shed of sorts, or small rest stop, but I decided that it was worth checking out. I walked in to see a very surprised man sitting in an otherwise completely unoccupied room. I hadn't seen any other people in a little while either and it was all a little peculiar.

Ignoring the shocked attendant, I made my way towards the vending machine and grabbed two bottles of water. The expedition had been a little more draining than I anticipated. I sat and drank my water while pretending to spill my second bottle to supply Abby with something to hydrate herself. I gave her some of the Pokémon food the Safari had supplied me and got up to go try to get my bearings outside, however, the man called out to me as I placed my hand on the door.

"Hey! Don't you want your prize?"

"Prize?" I questioned, completely lost in the whole situation.

"Yeah, the prize for reaching the hidden safe house! I thought it was what drew in most people to the Safari Zone... Well, regardless, here you go," he said while extending a small disc-like object my direction. I took it in hand and turned it over, inspecting the strange device.

"It's an HM, or a hidden machine. It can teach a Pokémon a certain move, or ability. One that they may not have otherwise learned until later in their life, if at all. They are 'hidden' because unlike a TM, their technical counterparts, they can be used more than once, and are pretty expensive to manufacture, thus rare to find." I stared at him blankly for a moment before he rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Put it on your Pokémon's head and you can surf on it over bodies of water."

"Oh! That's easy. Thank you mister!" I replied while sprinting out the door to go test it. He called out something behind me but it wasn't entirely audible over the rushing wind and noise I made stomping out of the building.

I plopped down near a small lake just outside of the little hut and shuffled through my Poké Balls. I decided that I wanted to try it on my new Pokémon since I did not foresee many other uses for the lazy thing.

I pulled out the pink blob and walked up to him as he lay, staring off into space with hardly a care for anything around it. I placed the HM on his head and sat for a moment as it whirred about. It then fell off, which I hoped was an indication that it was all done, and I watched to see the creature's reaction. Not to my surprise, it didn't move an inch.

I let out a deep breath and realized that I had not yet bothered to name it, so I pondered my options and searched for something that fit.

"How about… Patrick?" I said with a smile. The slug looked at me and a slow smile eroded over his face as he slowly comprehended what I was telling him.

I withdrew my new friend and turned to the sound of a few people calling out to me. I shifted to see some of the employees for the Safari Zone wave me over to them.

"There you are! I see you found yourself a Slowpoke! You are welcome to keep it. But man! You move awfully fast in a short time. Anyways, your time is up and we are about to close. Would you like us to escort you to the entrance?"

I nodded my head to the park rangers and fell in line as we walked towards the exit of the Safari Zone. Whether or not getting the surf HM was what the security guard had sent me to do, I was not sure. But I definitely had just created some new options.


	9. Chapter 9

So for this next bit I just traveled from the Safari Zone, rested a little, and headed south out of Fuchsia City. The cliff side gently transitioned into a beach, which lead to the ocean, and I hopped onto my new Pokémon, who was not any faster at maneuvering in the water than he was on the land, and I started to drift off west with the current. But as I sat upon my pink tubby friend, more important events were starting elsewhere. Namely, my home of Lavender Town.

* * *

><p>A room sat surprisingly silent given the fact that both men inside were normally very talkative. One was an investigator, and the other was a shop keeper who swore up and down that his Poké Mart had been haunted and raided by ghosts. The remark left both members to stare at one another, at a total loss for words and awaiting a response.<p>

"So this... ghost... It took your goods as well?"

"Yes! It had to! There were only three people in the building and I saw them all run out before or after me."

"Who were these three people?" he asked the man, seemingly more confused than he was.

"Well uh... We had one older gentleman reading a magazine over by the entrance... A woman who was shopping through the aisles, and a punk kid who threw dirt at my face before I got attacked by the ghost."

"Uh huh... Threw dirt, and then you were attacked."

"Yes! That's what I said!" the shopkeeper exclaimed.

"Just making sure I have the facts straight," the detective said while scribbling notes into his small tattered book.

"What did they look like? Can you describe any of them to me?" he continued.

"What? Why does that matter? It was the spirits of this dreadful town surging through this shop! It was dedicated to haunting me!"

"Right. What all was taken from the shop? Did you get an inventory check done?"

"Inventory check? I ain't going back into that place anytime soon! Forget that!" The investigator stared for a few moments before shaking the man's hand and leaving the room. He had no idea how to report the little to no useful information he had just received. Regardless, he had to report his petty findings to the chief officer before progressing any. With a loud sigh, he pulled out a Pokéball to gain some assistance. The summoned creature looked like an abnormally large duck, which perpetually held a leek of some sort in its mouth.

"We gotta fly back to Celadon Farfetch'd. He won't be happy but we aren't getting anything else in this ghost town."

"Faaar?" his doofy bird questioned. The Pokémon had been at his side for nearly its whole life and the duo understood each other almost perfectly; however, that did not mean its brain worked at anywhere close to the speed of the detective's.

"No not literally! I told you, there are no ghosts here."

"Faaar-fetch!"

"What? No it's a figure of speech that... You know what, never mind. Let's just go to Celadon okay?" The bird stayed loyal to its master and flew high into the air before looping back around with its webbed feet dangling below. The detective grabbed its ankle and they soared off awkwardly towards their next destination.

A short time later, while I was still drifting afloat my large pink makeshift raft, the detective landed in Celadon City, right in front of the police station. He walked into the front doors, waved at the few coworkers who bothered to make eye contact, and tipped his ball cap to the chief of police.

"Afternoon, inspector Reece. What have you got for me today?"

"Well sir," he said with a slight bow of his head as he took a seat and shuffled the small notebook from a pocket inside his grey trench coat. "Not much, honestly. You know that ghost invasion in Lavender?"

"Yes, yes. The one that apparently had four, mostly sane witnesses this time?"

"Yeah, that's the one," Reese replied as he shifted the notes to the chief with one hand, and scratched his check right between the connection of his short black beard and mustache.

"Hrmph," he grumbled back. "No idea on what inventory is missing, mentions three other witnesses, and hasn't been back to the store since the 'attack'. I would say he was next to useless." He flipped the page from the shopkeeper and to the woman.

"She had no recollection of there being other people in the Poké Mart with her? Wonderful... Oh here is a bit more. This older gentleman said he saw a very talkative child with a purple sweater and shaggy brown hair." He turned the page one more time and found it to be blank. With a raised brow, he looked back at Reece.

"And the kid?" he asked.

"None of the other three witnesses could tell me who it was. It's likely it was a traveler, being inside of a Poké Mart. That or some people living in Lavender Town are very unaware of their surroundings."

"I really wouldn't doubt it. I hate that damn ghost town..." the chief said.

"Faaar?" the bird cawed.

"No! It's not literal!" the detective scolded.

"Anyway..." he continued with a chuckle. "I actually need you to go back there."

"What!" Reece moaned.

"Yeah I know... But on a more serious note than a ghost invasion with maybe stolen property, a couple reported a missing child, shortly after the haunting took place. We really don't have any leads other than the fact that there were police in Lavender looking for the store thief or ghost, and keeping an eye out for the child, having been notified of his disappearance. It seems as though it was assumed the kid was just being a kid and not coming home on time. It's been a few days though, and there's been no sight.

"Well, alright. I'll head back in a bit. But I need a nap and a coffee. I can only talk to so many paranoids before I go insane... C'mon Farfer," he said, signaling for his Pokémon to follow him out the door. "Let's get a drink."

"Fetch'd?"

"Of COFFEE Farfetch'd! We are not drinking alcohol at work!" The duck sighed - either indicating disappointment or confusion, the detective was not quite sure - and trotted along behind as they made their way to the coffee shop across the street.


	10. Chapter 10

Floating slowly across the ocean on the back of the laziest breed of Pokémon known to man was one of the most boring things I have ever attempted to accomplish in my life. I saw people swim by faster than I was traveling, and I believe I saw a discarded cardboard box cruise past me on my voyage.

Luckily, some of the other trainers were willing to have battles either with Pokémon capable of swimming, or when small land masses were apparent. A few stopped to chat, curious as to why I chose the transportation method I had. I found out that my pink friend was called a Slowpoke. Had I known that, I would have been a bit more hesitant on using him to surf the ocean.

It's actually a pretty peculiar creature. The Slowpoke's slowness is more of a failure in neurons to pass the signal of pain or reaction in any sort of decent speed. In turn, it appears to be incredibly lazy in nature. The sweet scent of its tail was actually a secretion used to lure in food, by dangling it into the water until it realizes it has a catch.

Somewhere along the way a swimmer pulled up beside me, looking a little tired.

"Do you mind if I catch a ride for a few minutes? This route was a bit longer than I had anticipated," she said. I nodded my head and she clung onto my Slowpoke's tail and let her legs dangle backwards in the minor tug created from the current.

"Not the fastest method of travel, is it?" she teased. I shrugged my shoulders and kept an eye on the water's ahead while she continued to talk. "What made you decide to surf to Cinnabar? Was cycling road down?"

"I have no bike," I told her. She smiled and pulled a small swim bag on top of Patrick. She shuffled through its contents and handed me a pouch that jingled. I cocked my head to show confusion and she explained her actions.

"Star caps!" she exclaimed. I peered inside and saw a bunch of bottle caps, all marked with a blue star on the inside. "If you collect a hundred of them, you can take it to any Poké Mart and redeem them for a prize! This month it's a bicycle. But don't throw away any regular caps either. Every ten can be turned in for a free soda pop! I just like the free drinks, so you can keep those star caps. I can swim most places anyways.

"Thanks."

"Oh you are very welcome. You gave me a ride, so it's the least I can do. Well, I'm going to keep heading towards Fuchsia; I'm very excited to see the Safari Zone. Bye!"

I watched the girl swim away and began to sort out all of my caps in search of more marked with a star. It was a good thing that I hadn't thrown out the ones given to me from trainers I had beaten. In the end I counted a total of twenty-seven marked caps, and nearly a hundred regular ones. I frowned, acknowledging the fact that I still needed plenty more to get the free bike, but I could still search for more on my way to Cinnabar Island.

* * *

><p>It was nearly another half a day before I had hit land. My Slowpoke seemed very relieved to be put back into his Poké Ball, despite the fact that it hardly seemed to have exerted any energy to begin with, and I ran to the Poké Center to give my party a good rest.<p>

The sky was darkening but I had no idea where I would sleep. There were no checkpoints, being an island, and the only hotel was more of a mansion. I knew that I did not have the money I would need to sleep in a place like that, so I pondered my other options.

Looking around I saw another Pokémon Gym and made my decision pretty quickly. If I managed to win in a battle, I could potentially earn some money to stay at the hotel for the night. I walked up and pushed on the doors, just to find it to be locked shut. I sighed and rolled my shoulders before slumping against the wall and pulling my sweatshirt tight. The ocean's breeze began to spike at my side and Abby, while acting in honest generosity, snuggled up next to me and just made the coldness even worse.

From my slump on the ground I could see the massive structure of the mansion looming over the entire Island. Cinnabar was clearly made to be more of a resort than anything else, but I hadn't known that ahead of time. People gradually flowed into the front doors as the night progressed, but it stopped as every visitor had checked in. The upper floors had a few sporadic windows whose lights never flicked on, and I got an idea.

Getting up from my less than comfortable spot on the ground, I beckoned for Abby and we crept around the back side of the mansion. I saw a sign on the front calling it, quite plainly, the Pokémon Mansion. I wasn't sure if there was any significance to the name, but it was definitely not of any significance to me.

I scanned the back of the building in search of any easy to access empty rooms, and saw one within arm's reach of a large tree. I scaled the foliage and stared at the window, wondering how I could possibly get it to open. I could simply break it, but I wanted to refrain from drawing any attention, especially if I planned to use the room to crash for the night.

I felt the branch I was sitting on shift up slightly as Abby leapt to the window sill. She pressed against the middle and broke the lock, then slowly worked the hinged windows open. I wish I could have seen how he had managed it, but there had to be some downsides to carrying a ghost around.

I followed Abby and we climbed into the hotel room, loaded with refreshments and decorated to suite a king. I slid into the shower and washed up, not quite tired enough to go to bed. I helped myself to food in the fridge, seeing as I was stealing the room anyways, and played with Abby before I began to feel drowsy enough to lie down.

* * *

><p>I felt like I hardly slept a moment before I was awoken by Abby jumping up and down on my stomach. I wanted to shove her off, but being invisible, it was a more difficult task then it would seem. When senses came through, I saw a key floating in the air. It dropped to the ground and I quickly swiped it up to examine it. I had no idea what it was for, but I immediately heard loud footsteps and shouting coming from outside my door. I grabbed my backpack – which felt much heavier than usual – and moved to the window and climbed back down the tree to the ground below where I could see people being brushed aside by an invisible object.<p>

Panicking at Abby's bizarre aggressive behavior, I rushed after her to try to calm her down. I kept up the chase until she took me back to the door of the Gym. I laughed, relieved that she wasn't going insane and that she was just excited to continue our journey. Whether or not she knew the security of the hotel was hot on my heels, I'm not sure. Regardless, I went to open the doors and found them to still be locked tight. I frowned, perplexed as to why the doors were still locked in the morning.

The sunlight glistened off of the key still held in my hand and it all clicked together. I inserted the key into the door and found it to be a solid fit. I slid inside and latched the entrance, knowing that the Pokémon Mansion's security was probably still on the lookout. As soon as I turned, I saw a tall bald man in a white lab coat staring at me with a stone face.

"Ba… Blaine?" I asked, hoping I had recalled the name of Cinnabar Island's Gym leader correctly. He rubbed his mustache and nodded, his sunglasses hiding all emotion from his face. I heard a knock on the door behind me and frantically looked about, trying to avoid his gaze. I was caught between the security guards and an emotionless Gym leader known to play with fire. I gulped audibly as he pushed me to the side of the door, and unlatched the lock.


	11. Chapter 11

Blaine peeked his head through the open door and glared at the guards in front of him. The men exchanged nervous glances as the Gym leader barked at them.

"What."

"We are looking for a criminal sir. Someone stole a room over night at the Pokémon Mansion and many of the guests have reported stolen goods."

"And what brings you to my Gym?" Blaine demanded.

"We were just searching the perimeter sir. So if you will allow us to – "

"Nobody gets into my Gym without a key. Everyone in here is a trusted member, and I do not harbor criminals. Have you got a key?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"A key? No. Sir we are – "

"Have you got a warrant?" he interrupted.

"Um... No we – "

"Then get out of my sight." Blaine closed the doors and turned to face me. I was not sure what to make of the whole situation and just stared blankly at the man in the white coat.

"You have gone through a lot of trouble to get in here child. I expect a good fight," he stated while pulling out a Poké Ball. I staggered backwards as I realized he thought I intended to have a Pokémon battle, and quickly tossed out the first ball I felt. My heart sank as I saw my Slowpoke lying before me, instead of Sandshrew.

Blaine had summoned a fiery pony, called Ponyta, and he ordered it to shoot fire at Patrick. I watched the pink figure become engulfed in flames and I knew that the battle was not going to end in my favor.

Once the smoke had cleared, I saw a black ring smoldering around my Slowpoke, but there was hardly a scratch on him. Blaine sighed audibly.

"Type advantages. Never a solid way around them…" he mumbled. I tried to figure out what Patrick was capable of and ordered him to use surf on the Ponyta. He responded by lying still and slowly opening one eye. Then it was my turn to sigh. Seconds later, a flood of water shot from his mouth and at the pony.

"It seems that even your slow Pokémon can figure out that it cannot surf on dry land. That does not make water types useless indoors though, most can produce their own water, as your Slowpoke has opted to use water gun instead." I nodded at Blaine's insight and ordered Patrick to continue to hurl water at his opponent. Shortly afterwards the small horse collapsed from exhaustion and Blaine withdrew the Pokémon to summon a new fire type.

It was a large majestic dog with flames licking at its unkempt fur. Its roar could shatter bones and its walk seemed fit for a prince. Blaine called it Arcanine, and directed it to tackle my Slowpoke. I was practically mesmerized as the flaming dog leapt towards Patrick, but I didn't seem to be the only one.

The dog flinched on approach and my Slowpoke sat in an amazing concentration. The foe began thrashing about and slammed into Patrick. The creature let out a gentle roar and closed its eyes, clearly having lost its will to fight.

I sighed and tossed out Brick, as I had initially planned. I immediately set him to work burrowing tunnels around the battlefield, dodging the still thrashing Arcanine in the process.

"Damn confusion…" Blaine growled. He continually ordered his dog to assault Brick, but it seemed to be hurting itself more so than its enemy as it repeatedly smashed its head into the ground where Brick had been previously. Eventually Blaine realized that the particular battle was lost, and withdrew the Arcanine. For having entered the battle in such a beautiful fashion, it had never managed to accomplish more than flailing and stumbling about.

The next Pokémon he used was also a fiery dog, but it looked more like a wolf than an attack dog. It was a silvery tan color with a very sleek coat, and nine gorgeous tails that all sat ablaze at the tip.

Annoyed by the burrowing Sandshrew, Blaine wasted no time in ordering his Ninetails to smoke it out with a stream of flames. Within seconds, Brick had tunneled his way out and stood on the Gym floor, rubbing his rear end in pain.

"Ninetails, use fire spin!" The scientist shouted. The dog perked up and opened its mouth to let a jet of flames erupt outward. The spiraling cyclone tore across the dirt patches and made its way to my Pokémon, still cradling its wounded behind.

Thinking quickly, I ordered Brick to kick the stray dirt towards the approaching tornado, and he responded by using his hind legs to send a flurry of dust and sand its way. The attack transformed into a sparkling glass column and everyone sat to stare for a moment. I told Brick to attack it and then burrow into the ground. Claws held outward, it smashed into the massive structure and followed through with its dive straight into the ground.

Hiding safely below the surface, Sandshrew was unaffected by the hurricane of glass shards exploding out. The Ninetails, however, was not so lucky.

Seeing the scraped and battered state of his Pokémon, Blaine withdrew it and marched straight up to me. I was somewhat taken off guard, and even began to stagger backwards before I realized that he had a badge shimmering in the palm of his hand.

"Here, the Volcano Badge. You put up a good fight, just as I hoped." I gladly accepted the badge and the small bag of coins along with it. I smiled and thanked him before turning towards the door. Before I unlatched it, I paused and looked back towards Blaine.

"Why did –" he didn't let me finish my sentence before he cut me off.

"Do you want to tell me why the police were looking for you?" The color drained from my face, realizing that I had not used Abby in the entire fight and explaining he situation would be both difficult and unbelievable. As I opened my mouth to reply, he cut me off again.

"I didn't think so. Goodbye young trainer. Work hard, do well." And with those words he turned to continue training with the other Gym members who had started to trickle in during our battle.

Taking note that Blaine was not the talkative type, I went ahead and left the Gym, summoning Patrick in preparation to surf back to Fuchsia City. Watching the Poké Ball smack against the ground like a rock, I realized that he had fainted in the last battle. I picked up the ball and turned towards the Poké Center before my heart sank. The building was under police surveillance as they scouted for me.

I slid into the closest door and kept my head low, trying to buy time to think. If I didn't get off of the island soon, the police would find me. But I couldn't do so until I revived Patrick.

I stared at the silly white and blue checker pattern scattered across he floor of the Poké Mart as if it would house some sort of solution to my problem. Unfortunately, nothing more than a few loose coins were hidden in its textile, so after pacing a few rotations of aisles, I took a seat on a bench near the entrance. I wasn't very good at staying incognito, and I knew so, hoping merely to have a fix thrusted into my face. The doors slid open and closed probably five different times, and every time it nearly gave me a heart attack.

Focusing on anything but the shoppers, my attention was drawn to some of the posters on the mart's walls. New products were being advertised, much as the Pokémon food was in the magazine the old man from Lavender Town had been reading. Sliding my attention from one to the next using a uniform time frame, in a desperate attempt to appear natural, I found myself actually bothering to read the ads.

One was boasting about a new devise, capable of seeing invisible creatures, one advertised the collection of star caps that could be redeemed for a bicycle – as I already knew about – while the last one that I got around to reading was about a product to revive fainted Pokemon: not to the capacity of a Poké Center, but enough to continue fighting. My eyes lit up.

In retrospect, the speed at which I rushed to the counter was far from stealthy, and the looks that a few of the other customers gave me was blatantly of disgust and confusion, but I had an out.

I asked the clerk for a revive, but he seemed skeptical about my request. He gave me the price, and without counting the money Blaine had given me, I set the small bag on the counter to pay. Somewhat annoyed, he sorted through its contents and pulled out the right amount, or what I assumed to be the right amount, and handed me the small yellow crystal.

I stepped outside and threw Patrick's Poké Ball, keeping the revive in hand. It felt brittle, and it dissolved rapidly in Patrick's mouth just seconds after I put it there.

The Slowpoke sprung back to life with energy that I had never seen before. Together we ran to the edge of Cinnabar Island, and I climbed aboard his squishy pink back to sail to the mainland.

Not to my surprise, Patrick proved to move half as fast in the water as he did on land, so I curled up to get some rest as we cruised the ocean's waters.


	12. Chapter 12

As with the last time I began crawling across the ocean with Patrick, there were much more important events taking place across the continent. Detective Reece had been continuing his investigation as to my whereabouts. Fortunately for me, the quiet people of Lavender Town had been less than helpful in aiding him, seeing as no one seemed to know what I did all day. Not that I can blame them, I hardly know myself. But that left him with no schedule or timeline as a lead, and no description aside from the basics my parents had given him about appearance and behavior.

* * *

><p>Reece flicked through notebook pages with one hand and cradled a petrified Farfetch'd with the other. The duck's drool seeped down the back of his grey trench coat in a spine wriggling manner. It was quite amazing that he put up with the dodo, but somewhere in his heart he loved the Pokémon.<p>

A soft pat generated a burp and a little more mucus spilled out of its beak. The guards at the Pokémon Tower entrance had given him a mixture of empathetic and amused looks as he saved the poor Farfetch'd from its mesmerized terror of the channelers in the graveyard. He had tried to warn Farfer about the spirits that the channelers spent eons attempting to communicate with, but the bird was in disbelief after being told so many times that Lavender Town did not have ghosts.

It would just be a few more hours until Farfer came back into reality, so Reece had some quiet peace in the meantime.

The channelers he had rescued Farfer from were extremely enthusiastic, seeing as most of them had a new device that could supposedly see ghosts. Still convinced it was nonsense, and most likely a money scam, Reece didn't bother taking it into consideration for the mysterious assault on the Poké Mart – which was still unmanned and probably being looted daily – and kept scrutinizing his notepad in hopes of more information on the lost child showing up.

With a heavy sigh, he sat down on a bench just outside of the "haunted" mart. He saw a man's shadow beam towards him and a somewhat disgruntled voice called his name out. Recognizing it as the chief of police, Reese looked up and greeted him. The man's Pidgeot trotted behind him, its large colorful wings shining brightly in the midday sunlight. He took a seat on the bench beside Reece, and kept his head low as he talked, looking at the disturbingly empty notepad in his hand.

"I take it that you haven't had any luck in locating the missing child yet, have you?"

"No sir. It seems incredibly unlikely that it was a kidnapping. No one nearby recalls loud sounds or screams, the house has no indication of a struggle… the only potential lead I have is based off of guesswork."

"Go on."

"Well, if the terrified shopkeeper's word is to be taken as fact, then we know there was a 'punk kid' in a purple sweater with shaggy brown hair, who threw dirt at him before the ghost attack happened. According to an inventory of clothing, the parents believe that a purple sweater is what their child was wearing. If this is true…"

"Then we know the where the kid was last seen."

"Precisely. The guards at the checkpoint to the west of here claim to have never seen anyone pass through who fits that description. And with the Rock Tunnels up north…" Reece shook his head solemnly. "Let's hope that south is our best bet." The chief scratched his chin in thought.

"Any chance a kid without a Pokémon could have survived in those tunnels?" he asked. Reece kept his grim expression and didn't respond. "Well… Should we send a search team? It is a possibility, isn't it?" The detective let loose a long sigh.

"Yes, it is. But I'd rather not cause commotion quite yet. I think the first step is to notify all checkpoints to keep an eye out for the kid."

"Right, so unless we are dealing with a kidnapping, which you don't presume we are, then our missing person is on the move, and one of the outposts should see something soon," the chief said with a nod. "I'll take care of that then Reece. For the meantime, I need you to track to Cinnabar Island. There were reports of a thief making their way through people's belongings at the Pokémon Mansion. Strange thing is, despite nearly twenty reported robberies on the same night, not one person has any idea what they look like."

"Want me to go question some more space cadets?" the detective jested.

"Faaar?"

"Yes, and I will need you to take me to the moon to do so Farfer." The chief laughed and patted Reece on the shoulder.

"Good luck. Let me know if you manage to get anything useful." They gave each other quick salutes, and the chief hopped on his Pidgeot's back before sailing high into the sky on the keen Pokémon. Knowing he was en route to Celadon – where the police headquarters was located – to send a notice to all checkpoints, Reece was welcome to pursue his new assignment.

He grabbed Farfetch'd by the ankle and let the small bird flap its wings relentlessly to pull them as high into the sky as it could. Reece let out a chuckle and pointed towards Cinnabar Island in the distance.

"We aren't actually going to the moon Farfer. Head towards Cinnabar." With a sigh of relief, the bird lowered their altitude and moved to his new destination.

* * *

><p>Detective Reese walked in to the Pokémon Mansion to find the lobby absolutely bustling with frustrated people all demanding compensation for their lost goods. As the Chief of police had warned, almost twenty people filled the lobby. Attempting to relax by rolling his shoulders, Reese mentally prepared for the onslaught of questions and demands that were shortly to be made of him in the hours of interviews he had to soon make.<p>

A thought occurred to him which may be able to save some time; and mental integrity.

"Cinnabar guests, my name…" Reese looked around and noticed that hardly a soul was focused on him. He let out a sigh before turning to Farfer.

"Use screech Farfer, I need their attention." The exhausted duck seemed to perk up with excitement at the opportunity and let out a horrid cry that rang in everyone's ears. Having barely clamped his own ears in time, Reece hesitated a moment before addressing his audience.

"I am detective Reese. I was sent here to gather information about the recent robberies that took place. Can anyone give me an identifying characteristic of the individual who stole property?"

After the guests had recuperated from the sonic wave echoing throughout the room, they remained silent. As he had been informed, no one seemed to know.

"So no one even knows if all of the property was stolen by one person or many?" Again, the room was quiet.

"Alright, how about this. What was stolen most frequently? Anything in common?"

"Yeah they took all of my son's star bottle caps! He was saving for a bike!" One woman yelled from the crowd.

"They stole my money and my caps!" a man in the back yelled.

"They did not, you blew your money at the casino you drunken fool!" the man's wife scolded.

"They ransacked my room and stole from my kids!" a woman yelled out.

"Yeah, they broke my violin!"

"They stole my toaster!" shouted a man who appeared to be homeless. Before he could ask further, the mansion attendant pointed out that he did not spend the night and the toaster robbery was irrelevant. Someone from the audience demanded the mansion's employees have no say in the matter due to their terrible security allowing the mishap. With one shout after another, the whole room shortly exploded back in to the chaos it had been in. Reece pulled out his tattered notebook and recorded the missing and damaged items he had managed to comprehend, and it seemed that most of what was missing was star bottle caps, while the rest were excuses to piggyback off of the mass number of robberies.

Reese took in a deep breath and moved to the attendant. He requested a room isolated from the lobby where he could ask questions one on one, and started taking people in to tally up a more accurate list of belongings. He could tell that it was going to be a long day.


	13. Chapter 13

The bank of Fuchsia looked much more intimidating to ascend than it did to descend. There was a clear cut path to travel along, but it made the whole city look like it was built on a mountain. I rubbed Abby's head and felt the tingle in my arm as she nuzzled me back, and I pressed on up the bank.

A few trainers stood scattered around, some carrying out Pokémon battles, some watching one another relax in the sun, and others were carrying out seemingly in depth conversations. I never meddled much with other people's business, but I was always curious enough to listen in and figure out what was being discussed.

"Man, seriously? Fuchsia would look beautiful at night with that kind of technology!" I overheard one teenage guy say. The girl opposite him frowned in response.

"Fuchsia is about preserving the _natural _beauty, not making it lit up at night."

"Hey, if electricity prices drop that low, there's no reason not to!"

"I just gave you a perfectly good reason!" she said stamping her foot. At that point I quickly diverted my attention and continued my climb up the bank. An old couple relaxed on the bank playing with the local pidgeys and a few kids could be seen scattered throughout playing with each other or imaginary friends of some sort. I grinned as they reminded me of how I interact with Abby, and I pressed onward with a smile on my face.

I got to the top of the bank and took a brief glance at the city. It's beauty was just too captivating to ignore, even if you had seen it numerous times before. The soft crunch of wet leaves echoed from my feet as I walked towards the Poké Center to fully heal my party.

I placed my bag on the ground and gave the nurse a smile. She waited patiently as I dug the Pokéballs out of my sack and paused for a moment when I saw the reason my bag had been notably heavier. A smaller pouch was inside of it and looked suspiciously like a bundle of coins. Did Abby steal from the people at the hotel? I stood up slowly, looking around as if anyone could have known where they came from, and quickly moved the stash to the bottom of my bag to keep it hidden. I took the Pokéballs out and hurriedly threw them up on the counter, and the nurse gave me a strange look. She took care of them, but it was all done in silence and it seemed like the machine took decades to finish the healing process.

Once she had handed them back, I stuffed my backpack full and charged out the door. I needed to see what was in the pouch, and quickly. In order to get some privacy and time to think, I went to the Safari Zone again and found a spot off to the corner of the exhibit where there were clearly no Pokémon nearby to attract any of the few tourists. Most of them were more northward, searching for dentures on some scavenger hunt. The man at the entrance had told me about the promotion, and the reward was supposedly fairly decent, but it proved to be a solid distraction more than anything.

I slowly opened the bag as if it were booby trapped and peered inside. No one was around but I still felt the need to be cautious. I reached in and grabbed the pouch, hiding beneath the spare potions and Pokéballs I had stored away. It jingled like a bag full of coins and my heart sank. The police were sure to stay hot on my trail if I was walking around with stolen money. I wanted to slap Abby for being so foolish, especially when I was easily capable of defeating Blaine and getting more money for myself.

In a last attempt to persuade myself that I was wrong, I undid the drawstring and let its contents bloom out into vision. A sigh of relief let all of the wind from my lungs as I saw nearly a hundred star bottle caps resting inside. She had just wanted to help me get a bike. Ecstatic, I felt around for Abby and pulled her close, brushing my face into her tingly fur. I pooled the star caps with my own and they tallied to over a hundred. I put them all in the pouch and ran out of the Safari Zone as fast as my legs could carry me. The guard looked at me strangely, and another suggested I had found the hidden dentures. Shrugging off my suspiciousness let me glide right to the Poké Mart and exchange my caps for a bike.

The shop keeper seemed skeptical.

"A full hundred?" He said, looking at me over his half glasses. He rubbed his balding head and held the caps up to the light, as if checking for counterfeits.

"Yessir. One bike please," I repeated with eyes wide in anticipation. He pulled on his face and set the cap he had been examining down. "Yes, yes. Let me count them." I stood there drumming my fingers as he arranged them all into smile piles of a ten, and double checked his math twice. I couldn't image why counting to a hundred was so difficult, but I had counted them in quite the hurry myself. Eventually he gave in, shaking his head repeating "well I just don't believe it!" to himself as he walked to the showcase and pulled out a few keys. "What's your favorite color kid?" he asked as he glanced at me over his glasses. I pondered for a minute then tugged on my sweatshirt.

"Purple!" I exclaimed. He grinned and unlocked the padlock around the purple colored bicycle.

"Here's the lock and chain," he said putting them in my hands. "Now a lot of kids are after these bikes. Be sure to lock it up safe, you hear?" I nodded furiously, stashed the lock and key in my backpack, and sprinted out of the Mart. He stared at me the whole way out but I was on cloud nine as I left Fuchsia City on my new bicycle, going on to Cycling Road.


	14. Chapter 14

I was told all of the stories about Detective Reece's search later on when I met him; it's the only reason I know so much about what was happening on the other side of the continent. But that event didn't happen until later. So to keep things chronological, I'll continue with what he did after gathering information at the Pokémon Mansion.

* * *

><p>The call on Reece's Pokénav was easily the highlight of his day. He had spent five hours attempting to gather more information about the mysterious Pokémon Mansion thief, but all he got was more ghost stories and unanswered questions. There seemed to be a large tally of bottle caps missing, in particular star bottle caps, which would lead to a belief that the thief was in desperate need of a bicycle.<p>

He answered the call, hardly looking forward to pursuing his assigned case, and heard the Chief of Police on the other end.

"Reece we received a fairly urgent call that I need you to look into right away. It could lead us to finding the child from Lavender Town."

"Absolutely sir. Where should I head?"

"Oh hold on a second… I forgot that I sent you on a goose chase on Cinnabar… Should I get another detective on this?"

"If it is a concern, you can send a different detective over here. It seems that there was just a lot of confusion and not much more than bottle caps and a gym key have been stolen. I'd much rather continue my primary case if you have more information." The Chief chuckled and continued the debriefing.

"Very well. There's a shopkeeper in Fuchsia City who tells me he just sold a bike for a hundred star bottle caps. He wasn't upset about the sale, but he says the promotion started under a week ago. Having that many caps so soon is… suspicious. And you said your robber has mostly stolen caps from the guests?"

"Yes sir. It is likely that we are looking at the same person. But I thought you informed me it was the missing child?"

"I had… The shop keeper described the kid as having scraggly brown hair and a purple sweater. Additionally, the guard near the southern checkpoint to cycling road reported seeing someone with my description pass through, just after I got the call about the bike."

"I'm on my way sir," Reece replied while grabbing Farfetch'd's ankle, and began his journey to Fuchsia City.

"Good luck," Reece heard in response as he closed the Pokénav, heart pounding with anticipation of wrapping up three mysteries at once.

* * *

><p>Fuchsia City was beaming with its natural beauty as it always was, never wavering from its plethora of colors and the gentle sound of waves rolling up the shore. Coming from the hustle and popularity of the Cinnabar resort Island, the contrast was beyond welcome.<p>

Exhausted from the flight, Farfer curled up on a rock next to the beach and was asleep within minutes. Reece continued through the city, making his way to the western checkpoint at a casual, but respectable, pace. He rolled his shoulders, took in one last breath of the fresh natural air, and pushed into the checkpoint, only to be immediately bombarded with shouts and frustration.

"We will go on Cycling Road whether or not you 'permit' us, you old hag!" The guard of the checkpoint glared at the men haggling her, and shook her head.

"It's called 'Cycling Road' for a reason! It's too steep to scale without a bike built to do so! You'll move much too slowly and become a hazard to the other bikers!"

"Would someone shut her up?!" one man, most likely leader of the group, ordered. The men with him shuffled around and reached for weapons on the hips, brandishing the bright red letter "R" strewn across their jackets. Recognizing it as the extremist group, Team Rocket, Reece quickly drew his taser and shot the man closest to him. Falling to the ground with a thud, the other two lackeys immediately diverted their attention to him.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" the leader demanded.

"Police! Hands off the weapons!" Reece returned, holding up his badge. The Team Rocket members realized their quiet mission was becoming an ordeal and backed down.

"Our mistake," the leader crowed. "Weapons down boys, we are drawing attention. Pick him up," he said, pointing to the one who had been tased. The two lackeys put their weapons away, picked up their ally, and followed the boss out of the checkpoint, back through Fuchsia.

"Thank you sir," the older woman replied, holstering her weapon. "I told them we ought to keep Arcanines around to sniff out weapons, but they seem to think no one has made any real threats yet."

"I'll report this to the Chief of Police right away ma'am. However I have two quick questions. Are you certain you saw a child with brown hair and a purple sweatshirt head through here?"

"Positive. I didn't get the warning to be on lookout until afterwards."

"And you can't go on the path without a bicycle?"

"No sir, it's too dangerous and quite frankly exhausting."

"Thank you for your time." Reece hurried out of the building and the Team Rocket members were nowhere to be found. He ran back to the beach and shook Farfer awake, getting a very aggravated burp in response.

"C'mon bud, we got some bad guys to chase down, this is important." The duck came through and began to hover up in the air, allowing Reece to grab hold and get an aerial view of the situation. He saw a few Fearows and a Golbat, both winged Pokémon popularly used by Team Rocket for flight, heading north east, near Lavender Town and the Rock Tunnels.

"Alright, let me back down," he told his bird. Reluctantly, they descended back

to the beach and Reece starting carrying Farfer as he walked towards the eastern exit of Fuchsia. Pulling out his Pokénav, he dialed for the Chief of Police.

"Reece? Done with the investigation already?"

"Not quite sir. I was stopped at the checkpoint by a gang of Team Rocket members haggling the guard. They started to pull weapons until I intervened. They left quietly but I don't trust them for a second. They were headed towards Lavender Town… Something strange is going on here sir."

"Strange indeed… So what about the kid? Any luck there?"

"No sir," Reece replied with a sigh. "The checkpoint you lead me to is cycling road, I can't enter without a bicycle, and there's no way I could catch up with all of the time I've wasted so far. Best bet is to wait at the opposite checkpoint and grab 'em then." There was a moment of silence as the Chief processes all of the information.

"I'm letting you make the call Reece. Are you going to investigate Team Rocket's activities? Or track down the missing child? I can send a police officer to grab the kid at the checkpoint, but I need to have a detective to do any snooping."

"Right." Reece shook his head, not wanting to abandon his assignment but realizing what was blatantly the best option. "Alright, send someone over to the northern exit of Cycling Road asap, I'm headed back to Lavender Town on foot."

"Roger that Reece. Good luck."

"Thank you Chief."

"Why is it always Chief or sir? Can't anyone just call me Mike every once in awhile?"

"It's a formality sir."

"I know, I know… Any who, check in if you need help."

"Will do. Thank you." Reece wanted to run out at top speed, but felt the need to stay incognito, and was conscientious of the exhausted Pokémon on his shoulder, so he left Fuchsia at a casual walk, aware that the path back to Lavender was fairly a lengthy journey.


End file.
